Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Acuna

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,253 in Acuna, rent and utilities included – about $590 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Acuna outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Acuna
Learn more

Acuna Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Acuna

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,253

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Acuna

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Playa del Carmen and in Acuna actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,253 in Acuna, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Acuna $1,253

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,864 in Acuna, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Acuna $1,864

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,474 in Acuna, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Acuna $2,474

Playa del Carmen is about 4% cheaper than Acuna, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Playa del Carmen and Acuna are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Acuna 8% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$12.17 MX$228

-10.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$813

$45.48 MX$852

-4.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$9.33 MX$175

26.26%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.4

$3.11 MX$58.3

22.51%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.28 MX$24.03

$1.24 MX$23.31

3.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.67

$1.05 MX$19.65

-25.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.3

$2.16 MX$40.45

46.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.5

$4.60 MX$86.2

7.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.35

$1.81 MX$33.83

-22.10%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.54

$2.52 MX$47.22

-11.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.56

$1.62 MX$30.33

-12.35%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.27

$2.39 MX$44.87

5.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$136

$7.96 MX$149

-8.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$144

$9.37 MX$176

-17.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$238

$11.98 MX$224

5.93%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.2

$2.72 MX$50.9

2.21%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.64

$1.70 MX$31.77

-19.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.80

$1.87 MX$35.11

36.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.78

$1.98 MX$37.08

7.07%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.32

$1.92 MX$35.96

1.04%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.34

$1.84 MX$34.53

2.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.49

$1.33 MX$24.87

-13.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.09

$1.09 MX$20.48

8.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.5

$4.26 MX$79.8

0.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$186

$10.22 MX$192

-2.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.67

$2.00 MX$37.56

-21.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.1

$3.01 MX$56.4

-11.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.37

$0.65 MX$12.12

-15.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$499

$27.55 MX$516

-3.38%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.1

$2.67 MX$50.1

86.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.4

$2.11 MX$39.47

57.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$100

$12.20 MX$229

-56.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.06

$1.31 MX$24.64

9.92%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$20.7K MX$387.3K

$24.1K MX$451.9K

-14.30%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$23.5K MX$439.7K

$25.9K MX$486.0K

-9.52%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$84.8 MX$1,589

$52.0 MX$974

63.18%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$23.41 MX$439

$23.24 MX$436

0.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$537

$30.42 MX$570

-5.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,069

$27.64 MX$518

106.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$542

$17.05 MX$319

69.56%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.3

$4.65 MX$87.2

10.54%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$207 MX$3,871

$235 MX$4,400

-12.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.6K

$5,016 MX$94.0K

-21.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$812

$47.07 MX$882

-7.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$777

$44.57 MX$835

-7.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,390

$103 MX$1,938

-28.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,672

$76.9 MX$1,440

16.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

$657 MX$12.3K

49.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,136

$482 MX$9,029

-20.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.0K

$1,091 MX$20.5K

56.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.1K

$653 MX$12.2K

64.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.9K

$2,120 MX$39.7K

85.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.4K

$1,272 MX$23.8K

384.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

11.31

1.24%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Last update for Acuna: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Acuna

$482 38.4% 26.5% $101

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Acuna

$271 21.7% 6.5% $17

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Acuna

$192 15.3% 5.2% $10

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Acuna

$106 8.4% 22.8% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Acuna

$122 9.8% 9.5% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Acuna

$37 3% 45.1% $30

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Acuna

$43 3.5% 14.1% $7.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $657 in Acuna. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $45 in Acuna. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $271 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Acuna

🕒 Local time

21:57 9:57 PM

20:57 8:57 PM

1 h behind Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

160,225

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.34 USD

100 MXN = 4.76 EUR

100 MXN = 5.34 USD

100 MXN = 4.76 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Acuna 1,700 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Acuna

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Playa del Carmen vs Acuna: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Acuna is pricier by about 4%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,880 in Acuna. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Acuna, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $657 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $1,253 in Acuna. That makes Playa del Carmen about 4% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 3% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$1,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $1,253 in Acuna, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,204 in Playa del Carmen to $1,253 in Acuna. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.